What can we DU now to help TTW and Yoshi ?

[Syzygy321]

384. At the risk of incurring wrath from all sides

Last edited Sun Aug 9, 2015, 07:41 PM - Edit history (1)

I am finding this saga a little microcosm of the mainstream dem vs. repub strife.

As democrats, we believe in helping. We say that the struggling person deserves compassion and a leg up, contributed by those of us who have the means. That's what a just society demands.

We also say that if we help, everyone benefits in the end. If TTW gets bridged across her crisis, then she and Yoshi get back on their feet and we are all better off: and we have one more bartender and cute dog in the world!

The republican idea, I think, is to put the onus on the struggling person. "Well, why is she keeping that dog? It's a luxury item that costs her plenty a month in food and vet bills and time! She needs to be responsible and give up the dog before she starts crying poor."

Who is right?

The "pfff, just give up the dog" crowd isn't humane. They arent at the woman's side, with a human heart for her suffering and emotional needs.

The "We'll fix this by giving money and time to bail her out!" crowd isnt succeasful. Soon enough they have discovered that their money and time was wasted: no one is better off; in fact the "helped" person is angry and others are resentful, frustrated, ready to throw in the towel.

That's the microcosm: DU trying to help a single, known person.

Now enlarge that to Da Government trying to help a whole town, or region, or race, or class.

Let's speak of the troubled community I am most familiar with: a small poor town with few employment prospects and rampant drug abuse. People there arent evil or lazy. But they arent saints either. They are products of their environment and individual personalities.

In this town, for example, some people are taking out loans for community college so they can get some training and get a decent job. Others are taking out loans just so they can quickly drop out, get back a cash refund, and spend it on oxycodone.

And a lot of them have Yoshis - babies and kids they brought into the world (often without much planning for the kid's well-being) and who they sometimes screw over in the same ways that TTW is (kinda understandably, due to her own problems) putting Yoshi in a bad spot.

How do you give that mix of people a better life? And protect their kids?

You wanna end the "war on drugs" which disrupts families? Fine - but it's drug abuse that disrupts families too, (and kills people, and wrecks dreams, and costs untold millions in health care and foster care and social work and disability and the grief of orphans and so on.).

Fix it.
Go ahead: I'm eager to see that.
Fix it in one town.

I don't have any answers - ZERO - but does anyone agree, based on the well-intentioned Yoshi fiasco, that "just raise taxes! Pour in some money! Give a helping hand!" isn't this magic solution to all problems?

TTW is ONE known individual and despite the concerted personal idealistic efforts of hundreds, we couldn't make her happy and stable. She is who she is and she'll do what she wants.

What's the conclusion, and what's the next step?